Planning sound - Miss Miller

Planning sound

Sound is really important in films because it helps build tension and it also makes it easy to recognise what sort of atmosphere is trying to be created. Sound is especially key in thriller films because it is mostly used to build tension towards a jump scene which helps scare the audience. sound can either be used on screen or of screen in the form of diegetic and non diegetic sound. It is normally the background music (non diegetic sound) that scares the audience the most because it is normally loud and sharp when there is a jumpy scene. Without sound in thriller films, the film itself wouldn't be half as scary because the audience would be able to guess whats going to happen. 

Non - diegetic sound

Non diegetic sound is going to be the main sound technique which I am going to use because it is the best sound technique to help me scare the audience. It also builds tension and helps give affect in chase scenes. I am trying to make the non dietetic sound make the victims look more venerable and also make the antagonist more threatening. I will do this by having fast sound in the background when the victims are around and slow gloomy sound in the background when the antagonist is lurking to make him seem slow and aggressive. Non diegetic sound is very conventional of the thriller genre because it is always used in the build up to important scenes. This is because it makes it clear to the audience what is trying to be portrayed and it also is a good sound technique for building tension. I other reason i am using this sound technique is because it makes it easy for the audience to build a relationship with the characters because they are clearly shown how the victims are feeling so they can relate to them more easily. 

Onscreen sound

Onscreen sound is sound you can see that is happening in the film. This can be like a phone ringing or  a glass smashing. Onscreen sound helps the audience understand what is happening in that specific scene which helps them engage in the film more. In my opening sequence i am going to use on-screen sound like rushing of leaves and the wind whistling. This is going to help build tension in my sequence because the audience will feel like they are actually in the forest with the killer on the loose. This will make it easier to scare the audience because they are put into the victims shoes so they are made to feel how the victims are feeling. This will help build a relationship with the audience and the characters because they will know how they feel so they will then start to feel sympathy for them.

Offscreen sound

Offscreen sound is sound you can her but not see. This is like a scream in the distance. You can hear it but you don't know where it is coming from. In my opening sequence i am going to use footsteps and a heart beat as my offscreen sound. The footsteps are going to be used when the killer is approaching the victims. This will make the audience tense because they will be able to hear the killer but they won't be able to see him. This in turn will build a relationship between the audience and the characters because the audience will feel nervous for the characters because they know that the killer is approaching. I will use the heart beat offscreen sound when one of the victims is alone in the forest. The victims heartbeat will increase in speed when they notice the antagonist lurking in the shadows in the forest. This will show the audience that the victim is truly fearful for their life. The audience will then feel very protective of the victim because they will want to try help and protect them.

Parallel sound

Parallel sound is sound that is happening in that screen and it is used to help compliment what is happening. I am going to use a gasp as parallel sound when the victim spots the killer for the first time. This will show the audience that the victim is truly terrified and that she is uncertain of what she has just seen. By using this parallel sound it makes the audience understand exactly how she is feeling and this in turn helps them build a relationship because the audience know that they would react in the exact same as the victim is. 

Evaluation

From using all of these sound techniques it will make my opening sequence more effective and interesting for the audience. It will help show the emotions of the characters and help build bonds between the audience and the characters. The sound used will also help make our opening sequence more conventional of the thriller gene which will make our overall sequence better. From looking at sound it has also helped me with preparation for filming because i know have a clear idea of what i am going to do know.